ATP 500

Doha 2026

Doha, Qatar 17 February - 22 February 2026 Hard (Outdoor) 32 players

Prize Money $2,048,855

Analysis

On paper, Doha is a basic hard court tournament in Qatar. In reality, it's a complete trap: the humidity of the Gulf makes every ball heavy and impossible to accelerate. The wind appears and disappears erratically. It's one of the slowest ATP 500 events of the season, much slower than what the players imagine.

The difference between day and night sessions is huge in Doha. During the day, the heat allows the game to maintain a certain rhythm. As soon as the temperature drops in the evening, the courts slow down a lot and you play almost like on clay. It's a trap for players in the night session: you prepare a match during the day and you find very different conditions in the evening.

The big servers are disappearing in Doha. The recent winners (Rublev, Khachanov, Medvedev) is because they are solid from the baseline, tactically patient, and capable of playing against the wind and humidity without losing their discipline.

Playing Conditions

Speed

Very slow

Altitude

5 m

Surface

Hard

Slow courts High humidity Wind often present Low altitude (5 m) Significant difference between day and evening sessions

Statistical Analysis

71.9%

1st Serve Points Won

78.5%

Service Games Won

0.22

Tie-breaks Per Set

0.47

Aces Per Game

0.47 aces per game: it's the humidity and wind that kill the serve here. In Doha, your serve is never enough, and you really have to win your returns to advance.

Favored Profiles

Solid baseline players and good returners, capable of playing against the wind without losing their tactical plan. Pure servers find the conditions here very difficult.

The big servers and pure attackers will be neutralized by the slow court conditions.